Stepping Up
by The.Shadow.Night
Summary: Sequel to Rebel Justice. Red Arrow's been captured. The Lords know something's coming. Can Rebel Justice pull off a complete takeover, or will they fall? Will the world ever be the same?
1. Robin Returns

**Stepping Up**

**Robin Returns**

"Are you sure you want to do this, Dick?" Kaldur asked.

"Yes. I'm the only one who can. I'll make up some story about losing my communicator in the forest and it taking a while to get out. They'll believe me, I'll get to the Watchtower, grab Roy and leave. What could go wrong?"

"Then safe journey my friend. I will hold down the base until you return."

Dick put on his old uniform. He was once again Robin; it would be the last time. He smeared himself with some mud, gave himself some grass stains, and did everything in his power to make himself look like he had spent the last week living in the jungle.

He had Zatanna transport him magically to a small town outside the jungle he had been sent to before this mess occurred. From there, it was a simple matter of finding a telephone to contact the Lords.

It was amazing how fast they got there. Batman was all over him at once, making sure there were no cuts, bruises, broken bones, or anything else. After every Lord member had hugged him at least twice, they headed to the Watchtower.

"So, what'd I miss?" he asked.

"We were searching for you. Yesterday we found Speedy. He was caught breaking into Wayne Tower," Batman replied.

"What? Roy's still alive? Can I see him? Maybe he knows what happened to everyone else!"

"We thought that to, but he hasn't said a word. He's been working on shielding his mind, so Martian Manhunter can't get in to find out."

"Maybe I can get something out of him. We were really close."

"Maybe, but right now I'm happy to have you back. You look like you could use a hot meal and a shower before bed. You can talk to him tomorrow."

"Yes sir."

He was ushered into a shower as soon as he got to the Watchtower. Food was shoved at him, but the Lords seemed content to leave the questions until after he had slept. Back at his old room, he laid on the bed, thinking through his plan.

_Hold on Roy, I'm almost there._

* * *

**So, as I sit here typing up the fourth chapter of this, I realize I haven't posted anything today. It's insanely late, it's almost tomorrow, but still, I think I should give y'all something. I hope you like it, let me know if you do. **

**Have a crash day,**

**Shadow**


	2. The Grand Escape

**Stepping Up**

**The Grand Escape**

"I want to see him," Robin told Batman.

"I have a few questions for you first."

"Fine, shoot."

"Why didn't you contact us?"

"I lost my communicator in the jungle. The battery on my computer died while I was trying to get a signal. I was lost in there for a while, when I got out, I found the village and called you."

"Did you see anyone else there?"

"No."

"You're never to leave my sight again."

"Of course, Bruce. I missed you."

"I missed you too."

The two hugged, then Batman took him to see Roy.

Roy was in a cell in the center of the Watchtower. It was boring, white walls, white floor, white ceiling. There was a bed in the corner, a small bathroom to the side. A clear sheet of plastic covered the front of the cell.

"Roy?" Robin questioned.

Roy, who was sitting on the bed, looked up at the voice. He was waiting for Broken Arrow to be put into play, waiting to loose everything. Instead, here was Robin. The same Robin who was supposed to be back at the base, making his decision. It was pretty obvious what he decided.

Then Robin wouldn't remember anything. They would have had Ghost wipe his memory of the last week, and implant memories of scrounging in the jungle.

He dipped his head back down. There was no reason to be happy to see Robin. He wouldn't remember what had happened. He wouldn't remember Rebel Justice.

"I'll leave you two alone," Batman said.

As soon as Batman left the room, Robin pulled out his holographic computer and started typing. A few minutes later, he put away the computer and pulled something out of his belt.

"Hold on Roy, I'm breaking you out."

"What?"

Robin started cutting a hole in the plastic front of the cell.

"I said, I'm breaking you out. Don't worry, I've hacked the cameras and microphones. They just hear me talking to you and you saying nothing, and they see me standing here and you just sitting. But we've got to hurry, Bats will be back soon."

"Robin, what are you doing here? What happened to Broken Arrow?"

"I decided to infiltrate the Watchtower and rescue you. They need you Red Arrow. And by the way, it's Nightwing now."

"Nightwing. It's catchy. Now, how are we going to get out of here?"

"I've hacked the system. It will put the cameras on loop for a few minutes. We'll have to quickly get to the zeta beams and get to Earth. I told Sorceress to meet us outside Mt. Justice in five minutes. She'll teleport us to the base."

An arch had been cut out of the plastic, and fell inwards. Red Arrow stepped out of the cell.

"I need my weapons."

"Hold on."

Nightwing slunk out of the room, and returned seconds later with Red Arrow's bow and quiver.

"Now let's go."

The two snuck out into the hallway. No one was in sight. Hurrying down a maze of halls, they managed to avoid any Lords. Soon, they were at the Zeta platform.

"I'm going to have to go over there and program the Zeta tubes. Keep watch for any Lords," Nightwing whispered.

He ran over to the platform and started programing in the coordinates. That's when Green Arrow decided to make an appearance.

"Hey Robin, whatcha doin'?" he asked.

Red Arrow sent out an arrow, encasing the green archer in a mountain of foam that quickly hardened into a cement like substance.

"What the? Robin, someone's attacking the Watchtower. Call Batman!"

"No."

"What? Are you joking kid? This isn't a time to joke."

Red Arrow stepped onto the platform.

"This isn't a joke Ollie. It never was," he said.

Green Arrow's eyes widened as the two former sidekicks stepped into the Zeta Tubes and were carried away.

* * *

**Will Rebel Justice be caught? Will Green Arrow cause a global lockdown to look for the team? Will Shadow update soon? Find out next time!**

**Have an interesting day, **

**Shadow**


	3. All Together Now

**Stepping Up**

**All Together Now**

Zatanna was waiting for them when they arrived at Mt. Justice.

"Took you guys long enough. Tropelet su ot eht esaB!"

Then they were back at the base. Everyone was happy to see Roy. Many hugs ensued, making the normally serious Roy a bit uncomfortable.

"So, what do we do now?" Dick asked.

"They're going to know something's up now, thanks to Green Arrow," Roy said.

"What happened?" Jade asked.

"While I was rescuing him, Green Arrow decided to stop by for a chat. Roy shot him with an arrow and he saw us leave together," Dick said.

"So is it time to take them down?" Connor asked.

"I don't think we have another choice. The Lords will be weak right now. They just lost Dick, and their going to be putting all their efforts into searching for us. We just need the info stolen from Batman's computer," Roy said.

"There was nothing there," Kaldur stated.

"What? There must be something. Where else would he keep the plans for taking down the Justice Lords?"

"You guys really thought he would keep something like that on his work computer? That stuff is hidden deep in the Batcomputer," Dick said.

"So you know the plans?" Roy asked.

"Yeah, I have a copy on my glove."

"Then we've got a lot of work to do."

After sifting through the files and coming up with a simple cohesive plan, the teens turned in for the night.

Tomorrow was the day.

Tomorrow the Justice Lords would start losing their members.

Tomorrow they would take back the world.

* * *

**Short and sweet, but necessary. Join us next time to see the beginning of the plan.**

**Have a fantastic day,**

**Shadow**


	4. Batman

**Stepping Up**

**Batman**

The Team crept towards the entrance to the Batcave. Their plan to take down the Justice Lords was simple enough, but they needed Batman's technology to do it.

Ghost had set up a mind link, and they were communicating through it.

_Thermal scans show nothing ahead, _Lightspeed said.

_It wouldn't. Batman's suit is built to contain heat. It makes him virtually impossible to detect, _Nightwing brought up. _Though, the tracer I planted on him while I was at the Watchtower shows he's out on patrol._

_Let's move in, _Red Arrow ordered.

Quickly and quietly, the Team moved into the Batcave. Nightwing took Tigress, Powerboy, Tempest, and Sorceress to the vault where the tech needed was stored. Lightspeed went to get Alfred out of the Manor. Everyone else started planting explosives around the cave. They would blow the place as soon as everyone was clear.

Tigress stood guard outside the vault. Nightwing pointed out what they would need to Powerboy and Tempest, who carried it over to Sorceress. She teleported it to a large truck they had waiting in a warehouse. Warehouses seemed to be very useful for this kind of thing.

Everything was going fine, until Batman showed up.

He came like a ghost in mist, no one saw him until he was upon them. Using the element of surprise, he took out Rocket and Arsenal with batarangs. Red Arrow and Ghost turned to fight.

A pellet hit the ground in front of Ghost with waves of heat so strong she fell to the ground. Red Arrow started shooting trick arrows at Batman, but his efforts didn't seem to be helping.

Cheshire made an appearance behind Batman, attacking him with her shurikens. They failed to pierce the Dark Knights armor, and he sent a powerful punch directly at her. She gracefully dodged and kept attacking until she was flung at Red Arrow, knocking him over.

By this time, Tigress had heard the ruckus and left her position guarding the vault to help. She sent arrows after Batman, giving Red Arrow and Cheshire time to recover. The attack continued.

Soon, all of the tech needed was gone, and the rest of the team members were there, except for Lightening, who was working on getting Alfred out of the way.

Arsenal was back up, and he, Red Arrow, and Artemis were standing in the background shooting volleys of arrows at Batman. Powerboy and Tempest were on the front lines, attacking him. Sorceress was weak from the magic she had been using, Rocket was protecting her and Ghost the best she could. Cheshire was circling Batman, swiping at him and dodging as she went. Nightwing, though, was nowhere to be seen.

A cackle was heard, reverberating off the walls of the Batcave, making it more ominous with the echo. Batman paused for a second, allowing Tempest to hit him full force in the chest.

"Robin?" he called out while fighting the teens.

"Hey there Bats," Nightwing said as he dropped out of the ceiling.

Everyone backed off, they knew they had no place interfering in this fight.

"What's going on?"

"Justice."

Nightwing fought valiantly, with his acrobatic style, but Batman held back, afraid of hurting his son.

A few minutes later, Batman was unconscious at the Teams feet.

"Let's go," Nightwing said as he picked up the man as best as he could and started carrying him away.

Powerboy reached over to help, and together, the two carried Batman out of the cave. Outside, Lightspeed was waiting for them with Alfred.

"So, Alfred said he missed Dick and wants to come with us! Isn't that great! He makes the most amazing cookies, did I tell you that? I don't really remember if I did or not, but he does. Is that Batman? When did he get here? What did I miss?" Lightspeed rambled on.

"Nothing," Tigress said, effectively shutting him up.

The Team headed back to the plane, there was a long ride home ahead. Batman would be put in a cell especially designed for him. No one could break out.

But tomorrow was a new day. New day, new plans, new everything. Tomorrow they would continue the plan. Tomorrow, they would take down Superman.

* * *

**Dun dun dun! Man, I'm so loopy today, I can't even type straight. Until next time.**

**Have a spectarific day,**

**Shadow**


	5. Superman

**Stepping Up**

**Superman**

Batman sat in his cell, hands locked together in front. His gloves, boots, and utility belt had been taken, there was no way out. Yet still he tried. He could see a security camera in the top right corner of the cell.

He had seen no one since he woke up here. He couldn't believe Robin, his son, had attacked him. Of course, since he couldn't fight his own son, Robin beat him, but still why? He sat and stared at the two-way mirror in his cell, pondering and plotting.

Nightwing stood on the other side of the mirror. He hated what he had done. He had betrayed his family, his father. Yet he was trying to save the world. That was the right thing to do. But his heart still was heavy.

He jumped slightly as Red Arrow placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Are you sure you want to stay behind?" Red Arrow asked.

"Yes, I have some unfinished business here."

"We'll call if we need you."

Red Arrow left, and Nightwing returned to staring at Batman. He needed to talk to him, but what could he say?

Meanwhile, in the mission room, Red Arrow was splitting the Team into three small groups.

"Tempest will lead Lightspeed and Cheshire against Superman. Powerboy will take Rocket and Sorceress against Martian Manhunter. I will lead Arsenal, Tigress and Ghost against the Green Lanterns," he said.

"What about Nightwing?" Lightspeed asked.

"He's staying behind to make sure Batman doesn't escape. If you need backup, call him. Let's go."

Tempest, Lightspeed and Cheshire hopped on their motorcycles nearby. They were heading to Metropolis to take on Superman. The plan was simple, start attacking the city, and Superman would come. The Team had decided to start their attacks at the same time, so the Lords would be more spread out. They could only hope that this would work. If it didn't, who knows what would happen to them.

Back at the base, Nightwing was entering Batman's cell. He needed to talk to his mentor; he needed to know he was doing the right thing.

"Hey there Bats," he said as he walked in the room.

"Robin," the man growled.

"It's Nightwing."

"Interesting choice. What's going on?"

"We're taking over the world."

"Why?"

"Because, you've ruined it. There's no hope anymore Bats."

"There's no crime."

"But people have lost their free will. They're crushed beneath the weight of a totalitarian government."

"They're safe."

"They have no lives!"

"So you think taking us down will make you any better?"

"Yes… maybe… I don't know."

Nightwing sunk to the floor, head in his hands.

"I don't know what to do Bruce."

"Dick, I think you're right."

"What?"

"Everything I've done, I've done because of my parents death. This world, it isn't what they would've wanted. They wanted the people to excel, to thrive. We've kept them safe, but in doing so, we've taken away their freedom. But it's pointless to resist. I keep looking for hope, but we've let it go. There is nothing left to fight for."

"But we can fight."

Nightwing went to leave. He knew what he was doing now. He would fight. It may be pointless, but it was necessary.

"So you're just going to leave me here?"

"Sorry Bats. It's for the best."

Meanwhile, in Metropolis, Tempest and Lightspeed were doing their best to wreck the city. Tempest was using his water bearers to destroy buildings, while Lightspeed was discreetly getting civilians out of the way. Every now and then, he would create tornadoes that would rip down the street a bit before loosing power.

Finally, the police showed up.

"Cease your villainous actions at once. Superman is on his way. If you stop now, your sentence may be lessened," the chief yelled at the two.

"Why would we want to stop? We're trying to get some super attention here!" Lightspeed yelled back.

"They just want attention?" he heard one of the policemen mutter.

Another collapsed building, and a whole bunch of threats later, Superman showed up. His white cape flowed in the wind as he flew towards them at the speed of sound. He landed before them, fists on his hips, striking a heroic pose.

When he turned to see who was attacking the city, he was shocked.

"Aqualad? Kid Flash? What's going on here?" Superman gaped.

"We are here to give you a choice. Surrender now or we will have to take you down," Tempest said.

"That's funny kids. But I don't see why I would surrender to anyone, much less you two," Superman responded.

"Then we do this the hard way," Tempest said.

"Let's do this!" Lightspeed yelled.

The two ran at Superman, trying to get close. He blew them back with his super breath, but Lightspeed was still moving forwards. He melted the concrete beneath Lightspeed's feet, and failed to see Tempest sneaking up behind him. Tempest used his water bearers to sweep Superman's feet out from under him. He landed with a thud on his back.

"All right kids, you've had your fun," Superman said.

He stood up, shoving a fist into Tempest's gut. He fell without a word. Lightspeed was dashing around punching Superman whenever he could. Superman tripped him, and he fell, skidding a mile or so.

The city was still. Superman stood, teens groaning at his feet. Cheshire snuck up behind him, stopping a few feet away.

"So, you think you're tough? Let's try something different," she said.

She pulled out a chunk of Kryptonite. The man of steel fell to the ground, weakened by the radioactive rays. He fell to the ground as Tempest and Lightspeed got up. They tied up Superman, waiting for him to pass out from the Kryptonite before moving him.

The civilians watched in wonder as the leader of the Justice Lords was carried away. Maybe, just maybe, there was hope for this city, this world.

* * *

**Yikes, that one took a while. Tune in next time for another fight, and some other random stuff.**

**Have a radical day,**

**Shadow**


	6. Martian Manhunter

**Stepping Up**

**Martian Manhunter**

"Tempest will lead Lightspeed and Cheshire against Superman. Powerboy will take Rocket and Sorceress against Martian Manhunter. I will lead Arsenal, Tigress and Ghost against the Green Lanterns," Red Arrow said.

They split into their groups. Ghost went over to a secluded part of the hangar; it held the one thing she had brought with her when she left. It was her bioship.

The bioship had to be kept in a state of rest. As soon as it was awake, Martian Manhunter could sense it. He would come after her. Which made it the perfect bait.

She woke the bioship up, feeling her once again in her mind. She quickly manipulated the controls so that Powerboy could use them. The small team got on, and then left.

They flew through the air quickly, like they were headed for a destination, namely the Hall of Justice. Of course, they had no interest there, but it was a good way to get the Martian's attention. They could only hope he'd come quickly, and alone.

Powerboy sat in the commander's chair, steering the ship. Rocket and Sorceress where in the back, preparing weapons for the battle ahead. Soon the Martian came.

He flew up to the side of the bioship and forced it down. The trio inside suited up; they wanted to make this a short fight.

The floor dropped out from under them, Martian Manhunter had stole control of the bioship. He was surprised when he saw the three teens instead of M'gann. He said nothing, but instead tried to pull information from their minds. He found it walled up, there were no cracks. The three would let nothing escape.

Powerboy and Rocket held flamethrowers; Sorceress had prepared a spell to cage Martian Manhunter.

"Children, we have missed you. Come with me," he said

Instead, he got a faceful of flame. It weakened him, but he quickly flew out of the way. The two followed him, weakening him further. He used his powers to push against the flamethrowers, forcing them into the distance.

He landed in front of them, when Sorceress spoke up.

"Part mih ni a egac fo erif!"

Fire appeared out of nowhere, forming a cage around him. The heat was intense and unbearable. He soon collapsed to the ground, the fire making him weaker and weaker.

"You will never get away with this," he moaned.

"We already have," Powerboy said.

The world went black for Martian Manhunter. The teens tied him up, and put him in the bioship. It was time to head home.

Back at the base, Nightwing was doing damage control. The Justice Lords knew something was up. Green Arrow hadn't spilled yet, but the heroes the Team was attacking were trying to contact the other members for help. He had put in a notification to Superman to go to Metropolis, and blocked all other signals to the Man of Steel. He was on his own.

Martian Manhunter had left the Watchtower without a word to anyone else. He had tried to notify the Lords while battling the Team, but a little bit of hacking and that disappeared. The Team took him down.

Red Arrow had started his own trap for the Green Lanterns. It seemed to be taking care of itself, but still he monitored the situation. Finally, he was doing something good, something helpful. But to the side he had started a new project.

The Lords couldn't remain oblivious forever. Sooner or later the Team would loose the element of surprise. He was doing everything he could to make it later.

A few keystrokes later, he hit send. That would keep them busy for a while.

* * *

**Sorry this took so long, I got sick, and I have several tests this week. I'll try and do what I can. Batingency Plans, however, I've lost my inspiration on, so it's going to e a while before I update it. Sorry. **

**Have a blissful day,**

**Shadow**


	7. The Green Lanterns

**Stepping Up**

**The Green Lanterns**

"Tempest will lead Lightspeed and Cheshire against Superman. Powerboy will take Rocket and Sorceress against Martian Manhunter. I will lead Arsenal, Tigress and Ghost against the Green Lanterns," Red Arrow said.

Arsenal and Tigress went off to the weapons room to stock up on some special arrows that had been made just for this mission. Then, Red Arrow led his small team to the bikes. They hopped on and took off.

In a highly convenient warehouse, Sinestro was waiting for them. He had a well-known grudge against all the Green Lanterns, which made him the perfect person to help take out the two Green Lanterns of Earth, Hal Jordan and John Stewart.

"Are you ready?" Red Arrow asked.

"I'm always ready to destroy those Lantern scum," Sinestro responded.

The group made there way into a nearby city. The teens hid on the roofs, they were better suited for a long range battle. Sinestro went straight into the town. He started destroying buildings. Ghost camouflaged herself, then left her spot on the roof to pull civilians out of the way of the destruction.

They waited as Sinestro destroyed the town around him. The police showed up, they demanded that he stop. He simply laughed.

"Tell your Green Lanterns to come here quickly and alone. If I see any of their super friends, I shall kill everyone in this city!"

The police radioed the message to the Watchtower. Soon, the Green Lanterns arrived.

"Stop right there Sinestro," Stewart ordered.

He shot a beam of yellow light his way, trying to hit him. A battle ensued, the three flying around, trying to capture and destroy the opponent.

That's when the Team broke in.

Arrows flew from the rooftops, exploding as they hit the Green Lanterns. When the smoke cleared from the first volley, all could see the splatters of yellow paint on them. It was their one weakness, and everyone could tell it was harder for them to continue the fight.

A few volleys later and the Lanterns had gone from straight offense to defense. They tried to call for help on their comms, but no signal was getting through. The arrows kept flying; Sinestro kept attacking.

The green light was soon covered by yellow, and Sinestro sent the two Lanterns into a wall. Ghost came down and used her telekinesis to remove their rings and put them in a lead box. Sinestro flew off, his job was done.

The bioship flew over the city, Ghost had directed it to come here so it could pick up the Lanterns. Once they were safely stowed away, they all headed back to the Base. Today's attack was done.

At the base, Nightwing was prepping the cells for the members of the Justice Lords they had captured. The scientists working with the Rebels had developed inhibitor collars for each of the members. They were only going to put them on the metas, though, because they were practically useless on humans.

Tempest, Lightspeed, and Cheshire arrived first with Superman. A collar was placed on him, and into the cell he went. Powerboy, Sorceress, and Rocket arrived with the bioship, which was holding Martian Manhunter and the Green Lanterns. A collar went on the Martian, and he put the three into separate cells. A few minutes later, Ghost, Arsenal, Red Arrow and Tigress showed up. They placed the box with the rings in a safe. Stage one was complete. It was the Lord's move now.

* * *

**So, after the election last night I've lost faith in this country. It's sad. Well, today's deadline, the source of most of my stress, one of my teachers moved my test to next week, so now I just have to get through my AP Bio test. So, updates should be coming pretty soon. **

**Have a scrumptious day,**

**Shadow**


	8. In The Sky

**Stepping Up**

**In The Sky**

They sat in the sky, the Earth spinning lazily below them. They were gods among men. And they were falling into chaos.

Batman had gone with no explanation, it was normal for him. What wasn't normal was the fact that he had gone missing. No one could find him.

Then Superman went to Metropolis to deal with a problem. He never returned.

Martian Manhunter left his station at the Watchtower, flying quickly to Earth. And so he was gone.

The Green Lanterns were called out to fight. All that was found of them was yellow paint.

The Lords were in an uproar. Their members were being stolen right out from under them. The people were starting to notice, the civilians were rebelling. Wonder Woman and Dr. Fate went to deal with that while the rest of them pooled their information to search for an answer.

The Watchtower had been in a state of heightened alert since Roy escaped with Dick. The security footage had been wiped. It was an enigma. Green Arrow held his tongue, he didn't know what to make of what had happened.

But their discussion had to be put on hold. There was something else that had caught their attention. The Watchtower itself seemed to be rebelling. Alarms would go off when nothing was there. The computers kept playing a bird song. Their comms would quit working. The lights would flicker.

They worked to fix the problems there but Earthside, the people were stirring. Hope was rising. The so-called heroes were falling. Soon there would be none left. Soon it would be the end.

* * *

**TGIF. It's short, I know, I'll try to do better next time. It's amazing how long something looks on word, then when you upload it it's like oh, that's not long at all. **

**Have a traught day, **

**Shadow**


	9. Wonder Woman

**Stepping Up**

**Wonder Woman**

It was time for phase two. With Martian Manhunter, Superman, Batman, and the Green Lanterns out of the way, there were few 'heroes' left that were strong enough to be worrisome.

Red Arrow had called everyone into the main room to discuss mission assignments.

"I will be taking Lightspeed and Arsenal against the Hawks. Cheshire will take Sorceress and Tigress against Dr. Fate. Tempest will lead Powerboy, Ghost, and Nightwing against Wonder Woman."

"And what am I supposed to do?" Rocket questioned.

"You're staying here to watch the captives."

"Fine. But just this once. I don't want the rest of you to get all the action."

"We'll call you if we need you."

Tempest, Powerboy, Ghost and Nightwing took the bioship, which was happy to be used after the long period of hiding. They went straight to Themyscira, where Wonder Woman was from.

It didn't take long to reach the island. As men were forbidden from setting foot there, Ghost went to talk with the leader of the Amazons, Queen Hippolyta. She walked calmly to the building where the queen stayed. As she approached, she bowed down low to the ground.

"Rise my child," Hippolyta said.

"We need your help. Your daughter has gotten out of hand."

"I know. Yet she ignores my pleas for her to come home."

"My team has a plan, but you must allow my companions to come onto the island."

"I take it these companions are men."

"Yes, I know it is forbidden, but the fate of the world is at stake."

"It shall be forgiven. Let us bring my daughter home."

Ghost and a contingent of Amazonian warriors went to the bioship to implement their plan. The three boys, Tempest, Powerboy, and Nightwing, were placed in a cage. Queen Hippolyta summoned Hermes to bring a message to Wonder Woman.

About an hour later, Wonder Woman arrived to find her mother sitting on her throne, Amazonian warriors surrounding her.

"Mother, I received your message. Where are the children?"

"Follow me."

The two walked across the town, towards the cage. Ghost flew along behind them, unseen in camouflage mode. A few warriors followed, they were in on the plan.

Wonder Woman approached the three in the cage.

"Dick? Kaldur? Connor? You're supposed to be dead! Everyone will be so glad to have you back!"

That's when they jumped out of the cage. The three attacked with all their fury, Ghost started throwing things telepathically at Wonder Woman. She looked to her sisters for help, but felt nothing but their hands holding her down.

"What are you doing? Unhand me!"

Soon, they had her shackled. She knelt on the ground, glaring at those around her. Nightwing stepped forward and clamped an inhibitor collar around her neck.

"What are you going to do with her?" Hippolyta asked.

"We will do whatever you want," Tempest replied.

"Then take her with you, lock her up. She has brought shame to herself and the Amazons. She is henceforth banished from Themyscira, I never want to see her again."

"Mother-" Wonder Woman started to speak, but Hippolyta and the warriors left, they didn't look back.

Wonder Woman hung her head, a few tears slid out of her eyes. Powerboy picked her up and led her to the bioship. She wouldn't cause trouble anymore.

She was broken.

* * *

**And here's the next chapter. Good news, I found my muse. So I'll be typing more than in a while. Bad news, I've got lots of homework. I'll balance it out somehow. Until next time!**

**Have a bright day,**

**Shadow**


	10. The Hawks

**Stepping Up**

**The Hawks**

"I will be taking Lightspeed and Arsenal against the Hawks. Cheshire will take Sorceress and Tigress against Dr. Fate. Tempest will lead Powerboy, Ghost, and Nightwing against Wonder Woman," Red Arrow said.

He left the others to prepare for their battles, he had his own to prepare for. In the armory sat some special arrows he had made just for this mission after scanning through Batman's contingency plans. He took a few for himself, and gave the rest to Arsenal. It was time to go.

The two archers jumped on their motorcycles and drove off, Lightspeed following behind. The Hawks always flew around the same path in the evening. This predictability would be their downfall.

Arsenal and Red Arrow were stationed on the rooftop, arrows at the ready. Lightspeed was on the ground; he was their distraction and backup in case things went wrong.

They sat there, waiting, as the birds grew closer, the teens could see them now, two large birds in the sky, flying closer and closer. Soon, they could clearly see the outline of the two so-called heroes. Red Arrow motioned to Arsenal, who was on the roof across from him, and the two fired arrows simultaneously.

The arrows arched gracefully through the sky. At the apex of their flight, they exploded into nets, draping themselves across the Hawks. The net was made of a special fiber that constricted and pulled in on itself once it was exposed to the air. The nets pulled tight, and Hawkman plummeted like a stone. Lightspeed created a vortex to carry him gently to the ground; they didn't want anyone to get hurt. He snapped an inhibitor collar on the man, but left him tied up just in case.

Hawkgirl, on the other hand, was a completely different story. She was smaller than Hawkman, and better trained. She managed to twist her way out of the net and it fell to the ground without her. She instantly went into defensive mode, and scanned the buildings around where she hovered in the air, looking for who had fired at her. Her mace sparked with electricity in her hands, it seemed to call out for blood.

Arsenal, who wasn't really thinking things through, shot another arrow at her while her back was turned to him. She whipped around at the last second and smashed the arrow with her mace. The pieces fell to the ground.

e. keep her away, but she managed to avoid every arrow. Red Arrow decided to intervene and he started shooting at her. She wasn't expecting to be hit from behind, and took a foam arrow to the wing. Her wing now useless, she fell to the ground.

Lightspeed created another vortex, gently lowering her to the ground. What he got in thanks was a mace to the face. He was thrown back into a building, leaving a dent in the wall. He fell to the ground, unconscious and unmoving.

Arsenal and Red Arrow had hurried down the fire escapes of the buildings they had been hiding out on, and met in the street. Hawkgirl stood in the center, she was fuming as she turned to meet her attackers. She wasn't expecting two people who looked almost exactly the same, though.

She got over her shock quickly, and attacked. Red Arrow and Arsenal shared a glance, and took out their emergency Arrows. These were programmed to attach to each other with a rope and wrap around their victim before electrocuting them. The only problem was getting it wrapped around her without her cutting the rope.

Lightspeed moved in the rubble and zipped in front of the angry Hawk. She tried to hit him with her mace, but he would just speed out of the way. He got in little jabs all over her body, not really hurting her, but really ticking her off.

As soon as Hawkgirl turned her back to them, Red Arrow and Arsenal fired. The rope connected between the arrows. They wrapped around Hawkgirl as Lightspeed ducked out of the way. And then the line sparked with electricity. Seconds later, Hawkgirl was on the ground unconscious.

Lightspeed bent down and snapped the collar on her.

"Well, that was fun, when's lunch?" he asked.

Red Arrow just rolled his eyes. Arsenal decided to pick a fight with the speedster and they argued all the way back to the bikes. The bioship flew over and Powerboy and Tempest jumped out to grab the Hawks.

Red arrow could only hope the girls were able to take down Dr. Fate easily.

* * *

**Yay! New chapter! I hope you enjoyed this, up next, Dr. Fate. 'Cause being a Lord of Order could really screw a rebellion up. Until next time.**

**Have a superb day,**

**Shadow**


	11. Dr Fate

**Stepping Up**

**Dr. Fate**

"I will be taking Lightspeed and Arsenal against the Hawks. Cheshire will take Sorceress and Tigress against Dr. Fate. Tempest will lead Powerboy, Ghost, and Nightwing against Wonder Woman," Red Arrow said.

Cheshire, Sorceress and Tigress loaded into the black jet. They knew that Dr. Fate's weak point would be the Tower of Fate, he would either be there or would sense someone was there and come.

Batman's notes on Fate had been varied, and there wasn't anything that would take him down easily. All that was left was a key. A key to the Tower. So, the Team decided to try something a little risky, something completely different.

Naboo, also known as Dr. Fate, stood on the roof of the Tower of Fate. He overlooked the world, and saw that things were in order. With the help of the 'Justice Lords' he had been able to bring order to this world, chaos had been banished to the far reaches of society. Order would reign supreme for all time.

He sensed someone in the Tower below him. They had just come in using a key, but there was only one key out there, and that key belonged to a missing Batman.

Below, Sorceress used the key to gain entry to the Tower. She, Tigress, and Cheshire slipped through the door. A doorway opened up, and Cheshire and Tigress quickly hid as Dr. Fate stepped through the door.

All he saw was Sorceress.

"Zatanna Zatara. What brings you to the Tower of Fate?" Naboo asked.

"I need to speak with my father," Zatanna replied.

"You know I can't do that."

"Please! Just a couple minutes! I miss him."

"You have been missing for about a year. How do I know this isn't a trick?"

"I know you can see the strength of my magic. I'm weaker than you, weaker than my father.. Even if I tried something, either of you could stop me. Besides, he has given you his word that he will put the helmet back on."

"Very well. You have two minutes."

Dr. Fate removed the helmet, becoming once again Zatara. The magician wrapped his arms around his daughter, he was worried he would never get to see her again. In the shadows, Cheshire moved towards the helmet. Zatara turned around as he felt a disturbance in the magical force.

The magician sent waves of curses at Cheshire, not noticing his daughter behind him. He pinned down the theif and turned to Zatanna.

"What was that?" he asked.

"I'm sorry dad. Eerf reh!"

The simple spell set Cheshire free. She grabbed the helmet and tried to get out, but alas, the door was locked.

"Zatanna! What's gotten into you?"

Tigress came out of hiding and started shooting arrows. Zatara turned them into flowers with a few words. Behind him, Zatanna was preparing another spell.

"kconk mih tuo!" She screamed.

Zatara fell like a rock. Zatanna caught him as he fell, setting him gently on the ground. Artemis appeared and clipped an inhibitor collar around his neck. They weren't sure it would block magic, but they could try.

Zatanna used magic to open the doors, and the three girls got the heck out of dodge with their prisoner. Their mission was complete.

Back at the base, Nightwing was leading Wonder Woman into her cell. Tempest and Powerboy were carrying the unconscious Hawks. Cheshire and Artemis worked together to lug Zatana into his while Zatanna sealed the helmet in a magic box. It then went in the safe with the rings.

The teens had decided to get some rest before enacting the rest of their plans, so Rocket was left watching the prisoners for a few hours. Unfortunately she was very tired, and watching the monitors was very tedious. Soon, she had fallen asleep.

Batman had been counting on something like that. He had waited until the middle of the night, then he pulled out a lock picking set he had been hiding for some time. He quickly escaped the room.

He knew he wouldn't have much time before the rebels found out he had escaped, so he did the only thing he could to help the Lords in their upcoming battle. He sent them a message.

Rocket woke up to the sound of Batman typing. He hit send before she stabbed a needle in his arm, sending him off to dreamland.

She looked on the screen, seeing the sent message. That's when she knew they were screwed.

_The kids are coming for you._

_-Batman_

* * *

**I just realized, I only have a couple more chapters until this story's over. It's sad. So, I'm curious, I have an idea for a sequel to htis sequel, but should I go for it? Should I end it? It's an interesting conundrum. Until next time.**_  
_

**Have a bloody good day,**

**Shadow**


	12. Toppling Tyranny

**Stepping Up**

**Toppling Tyranny**

The Lords were on high alert. After receiving Batman's message, they knew whom they were fighting, and they couldn't believe it. Their own family had turned against them.

But now was not the time for debate. Now was the time to fight. And fight they would. Their best hacker had been taken out, they couldn't trace the signal back to the children, but they wouldn't be taken by surprise, they would be ready.

At the base, the teens were preparing for battle. The three archers were stocking up on all sorts of arrows: exploding, foam, electric, even regular pointy arrows. They would be ready.

Nightwing was filling his utility belt with bird-a-rangs, knock out gas pellets, smoke pellets, batpills, and other such items.

Tempest was preparing mentally. It wasn't everyday you had to fight against your king and mentor.

Lightspeed was just eating. A lot.

Rocket made sure her belt was in working order.

Cheshire was cleaning her many different weapons and dipping them in poison.

Ghost and Powerboy were taking some time alone together; no one knew when they'd have the chance again.

Sorceress was monitoring the cells; she was still weak from her encounter with her father.

They all straggled into the mission room soon after. Sorceress elected to stay behind. Nightwing started hacking into the Watchtower's Zeta beam system. They would be able to arrive without their presence being known.

The rebels knew this was a foolhardy mission, but they had no choice. They were going up against at least half of the Lords at one time, and they didn't expect to be coming back. Still, there were no tears, no goodbyes, just a shared goal of a wonderful, free life for everyone.

And then they were gone.

They arrived in the Watchtower unnoticed. They had memorized the plans beforehand, and each knew their job. Red Arrow made a few hand motions, and they were off.

Nightwing and Cheshire stealthily went towards the bridge. They didn't doubt that Red Tornado would be there, as he was the only one who didn't require sleep. He would be the one to raise an alarm if something happened, therefor; they had to get rid of him first.

Tempest and Ghost went off in a different direction. Their job was to take care of the Atom and Black Canary. Nightwing had hacked into the Watchtower's cameras shortly before they entered and saw the two in the dining hall. They tried to go silently, but it didn't matter. They would know they were here soon enough.

Powerboy and Lightspeed rushed off to the pool, where Aquaman was meditating. A flamethrower was strapped to Powerboy's back, so they doubted there would be any trouble. Just in case, though, Lightspeed had sedatives hidden in compartments in his suit.

Rocket and Tigress were tasked with the job of getting Captain Marvel. From what they had seen on the video, he was sleeping in his normal form. They had no doubt that they could take him.

Red Arrow and Arsenal had a grudge. So, they went after Green Arrow. He was in his room, alone, not really doing anything. It was time to attack.

Cheshire slid up behind Red Tornado as quietly as possible. She was about to attack when he wheeled around, apparently sensing her. Wind forced her against the wall, it was horrible, there was so much air, she could barely breathe. Then it reversed. He sucked all the air away. Now she really couldn't breathe. Nightwing dropped out of the shadows behind the robot and pressed a device to the back of its neck. Red Tornado shut down, Cheshire took in gulps of air.

"What was that?" she managed to gasp out.

"A mini EMP device. Its range was a few inches, so I had to put it close to his main power supply. I didn't tell anyone about it because I wasn't sure it would work," Nightwing replied calmly.

"I'm glad it did."

The two turned and walked out away from the bridge, unaware that behind them Red Tornado was switching to an alternate, nonelectric power source.

Meanwhile, Tempest and Ghost were in the dining hall. Ghost went in first in camouflage mode. Black Canary and the Atom were sitting there, talking over a couple trays of food. She used her telekinesis to slowly unhook the belt around the Atom's waist. She gently slid it off him, and pulled it towards her. That was, until Black Canary saw it.

She quickly glanced around the room and saw the slight distortion where Ghost was floating. Then she let out one of her screams. Ghost slammed her hands over her ears and fell to the ground. Tempest ran in, tackling Black Canary. The Atom scrambled towards his belt, without it, he was powerless. Ghost, who was fine now that Black Canary wasn't screeching at her, pulled the belt towards herself and crushed it. The Atom ran at her, trying to knock her out, but she slammed him into the wall.

Black Canary was wrestling with Tempest. He was stronger, but she was better trained, so it ended up being a fair fight. Then she used her screech to knock him against the wall. Tempest was out. Ghost tried to fight her, but she had never been very good at hand-to-hand combat. Soon, Ghost was laying on the ground. Canary ran over to the Atom, grabbed him, and dragged him off.

In the natatorium, Aquaman sat motionless. He had been distant from the rest of the surface world after Kaldur left, and learning that his student had become a rebel was causing much conflict inside him.

Powerboy pushed open the door and saw Aquaman sitting at the bottom of the pool. That wasn't expected.

"Lightspeed, can you drain the pool?" he whispered.

Lightspeed gave him a thumbs up and started running in circles around the pool. The force pulled the water up, and he drained it into the nearby locker room. This got Aquaman's attention, and he was ready to fight by the time the pool was drained. He started climbing the ladder to get out of the now empty pool when Powerboy hit him with the flamethrower. It was a good thing that Atlantean skin was tough, otherwise he would have been burnt to a crisp. Instead, he merely passed out as all the moisture was sucked from the air.

Powerboy let up on the flame and Lightspeed clipped an inhibitor collar around the Atlantean's neck. They then grabbed him and put him in a tub of water. The inhibitor collars were waterproof, and they didn't want him to die. The two went off to meet up with the others.

Rocket, Tigress, Red Arrow, and Arsenal were searching for their targets when a loud alarm blasted through the Watchtower, the fact they were there was a secret no longer. It was time for plan B. The Rebels ran back to the bridge, Nightwing and Cheshire were just down the hall, Powerboy and Lightspeed were heading there to meet up with everyone else. Ghost and Tempest woke up in the dining hall and raced down there, while the others stopped their search and sprinted towards the bridge.

The Lords hurried down there as well. Red Tornado was working again, due to his alternate energy source. He was the one to who set off the alarm. Black Canary was almost there; she was dragging the unconscious Atom with her. Green Arrow came from wherever he had been hiding and Captain Marvel awoke from his slumber to join them. Aquaman was floating unconscious in the tub and didn't hear the alarm.

The two teams met in the bridge, both ready for a fight.

"Surrender now or we're going to have to take you down," Red Arrow said.

"Never," Black Canary said.

"Actually…" Green Arrow spoke up. All eyes turned to him. "I never wanted any part of this. I wanted to quit, but I was afraid of what you guys would do to me. I'm out."

And he ran away. The rebel archers were surprised at what had happened, but they didn't let it show. The Rebels stood in a line, ready for a fight. The Lords created a ring around the unconscious Atom, waiting for the teens to attack.

Powerboy obliged. He ran straight at Captain Marvel. Tempest followed. Soon, the three were locked in deathly hand to hand combat. Lighspeed attacked Black Canary with Nightwing and Cheshire. Ghost went up against Red Tornado with Rocket. The archers stood back and did whatever they could.

Things seemed to be going in the Lord's favor, until Ghost used her powers to pull Red Tornado apart. She and Rocket went over to attack Captain Marvel. Nightwing managed to land a sharp kick to Black Canary's throat, injuring her vocal cords. She tried to use her Canary cries, but nothing came out. Together, Cheshire, Nightwing and Lightspeed managed to take her down. Lightspeed grabbed an inhibitor collar from Tempest and clipped it around her neck.

All the teens pilled on Captain Marvel and soon, even with all his powers, he was down and out with a collar around his neck.

The battle was won.

* * *

**And only one chapter remains. I was listening to Holy Musical B man while typing this, it's sad how obsessed with Starkid stuff I am. But that's off topic. I'll see if I can get the next chapter up tomorrow, it'll be Monday at the latest.**

**Have a brilliant day,**

**Shadow**


	13. The World(s)

**Stepping Up**

**The World(s)**

The Watchtower hung in the sky, same as always. But on the surface, beneath the clear blue sky, a revolution was happening. An announcement had been made that the Justice Lord's were now in custody. They had been removed as the guardians of Earth.

Now there was a new group that inhabited the tower. They were young, but old enough to remember how things were before. Old enough to make their own decisions. Old enough to overthrown their predecessors.

The rebels sat in the Watchtower, in the seats of their mentors, their family, their friends. But that was over now. It was time for them to rule.

The people of Earth were starting anew. Ideas began to flourish, things were being built, discovered. Time had resumed. The people were still afraid of anyone declaring themselves to be a hero, the Lord's impression was still too fresh to be forgotten. And so, the teens had nowhere to go, nothing to do.

They got bored.

Nightwing scanned through the entire contents of the Watchtower's computer, and the Batcave's. Sorceress studied her father's books. Tempest resumed his lessons in Atlantean magic. Ghost and Powerboy just spent time together, watching movies, cooking, talking. The archers and Cheshire trained. Rocket started fiddling with her electric gadgets. Lightspeed took an online college course. Their lives took a turn into semi-normality.

That was, until Nightwing found something. He had discovered something massive, something that could possibly save a world. He called a meeting at the Watchtower to discuss his findings.

They sat in thier mentors seats, at their table. Red Arrow sat at the head of the table. Nightwing was to his right, Tempest to his left. Sorceress sat next to Nighwing, followed by Lightspeed, Tigress and Cheshire. Rocket sat next to Tempest, followed by Ghost, Powerboy, and Arsenal.

Nightwing rose and stood in front of them all. He pulled up a holographic screen and started playing a clip. It showed the Lords, including the Flash, fighting with their protégés, like they did so many years ago, before Flash's murder.

"Why are we watching old clips?" Red Arrow asked.

"These aren't old. This is live streaming from a different dimension, a parallel dimension, where the Flash is alive. Batman had been doing research into this sort of thing, he even created a device to get there. Only, in this dimension, things are how they used to be."

"How does this apply to us?" Powerboy asked.

"Because, there, Luthor is running for president. I've calculated the probabilities and it seems that are universes are very closely related. If things keep going how they are, then within the year their dimension will be as screwed up as ours."

"So, if we went there, we could save their world from the fate of ours?" Tigress asked.

"Pretty much."

"I say we look over all the facts and then vote on what we should do," Red Arrow said. "What do we know about this universe?"

"Well, for starters, they call themselves the Justice League."

_Fin._

* * *

**The end. Or is it? I could continue on, but I don't know if I should. Let me know what you think! **

**Have a twitterific day, **

**Shadow**


	14. Sequel

I probably should have posted this before now, but the sequel to Stepping Up is up and completed. It is called A Better World, so go check it out!

-Shadow


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